By Indiatomorrow.net
Aligarh, 24 Dec 2014: A meet here made a strong pitch for “protecting the Indian constitution under which every individual has the right to propagate his or her religion and also follow the religion of their choice”.
The national seminar on “Commonalities among Religions” organized by the Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University on Tuesday drew a resolution inviting people of all faith to unite and work for strengthening the pluralistic society.
The meet observed that the proposal to bring in a new law for preventing religious conversion “would strike at the very roots of the Indian constitution.”
Delivering the keynote address at the seminar, Dr. Aslam Abdullah, noted Islamic scholar and Director of the Muslim Electorate Council of America said: “As a true follower of Islam, I must confess that religious leaders belonging to my faith are as guilty of this sin of betraying the core beliefs of Islam and instead choosing to spill blood in the name of religion, sect and gender”.
Representing Hinduism at the seminar, Guest of Honour, Dev Narain Bhardawaj said: “God has placed us in the world, in this nation and calls us to seek Shanti (Peace) together and I don’t understand why we cannot work together for peace.” He also said that our faiths are often at odds with each other through the years over doctrinal disparities and we need to find ways to work together”.
Guest of Honour and Director, ‘Sadbhavna’, Father Varghese Kunnath who represented Christianity told that people of different religions have a lot to share about the hope that lies within each of us. “We need to work together, learning from each other and bearing witness to the hope that shines within us.”
Dr Abdul Khalique of the Department of Sunni Theology spoke about similarities that Judaism shares with Semitic and non-Semitic faiths. “We should talk about profound teachings of various religious scriptures rather than shouting at each other and demonizing fellow human beings,” said Khalique.
Presiding over the seminar, the Aligarh Muslim University, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Brigadier Syed Ahmad Ali (retd) said that it is important in a pluralistic society to know about all faiths and customs. “Let us try to understand each other and read about different faiths to find commonalities,” said Brigadier Ali.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor said, “The AMU is ready to play its due role in promoting the cause of interfaith dialogue and thus spreading peace and goodwill in today’s troubled world”.
The Seminar was also attended by Giyani Gur Mukh Singh, Parcharak, SGPC, Amritsar; Mr Jai Singh Suman, VC, Budh Society, UP and Prof P K Jain, D S College.
